TURA: The Garo Hills United Alliance (GHUA), the opposition in the GHADC, has strongly condemned the NPP-led Executive Committee for keeping them in the dark about the approval of the Special Assistance Fund for Garo Hills.
In a statement issued late on Friday night, Opposition MDC Rupert M Sangma said GHUA came to know about the existence of such a scheme after a report was published in the newspapers. “The opposition was kept in the dark about such schemes and no information or notice was given. The NPP-led EC has misled the Chief Secretary and the state-level committee by stating that the project or estimate was submitted after consultation with all the MDCs,” Sangma said.
The Opposition MDCs, who had met the Chief Secretary, said he “expressed shock” at the way the EC kept the GHUA leaders in the dark about the fund.
Sangma also said when the Opposition enquired about the schemes proposed in the GHADC, CEM Denang T Sangma flatly refused to give information.
“This clearly shows that there is no transparency in
the NPP-led EC. As per guidelines, they need to discuss with all the representatives so that it can reach all the villages. The Special Assistance Fund is not only for the ruling party but for the entire Garo Hills,” Sangma added.
The MDC also urged the Chief Secretary and the state-level committee to ensure that implementation of such schemes is not biased.
“The same should be followed in the GHADC as only the representative concerned knows about the grievances faced in their own constituencies,” he added.